Earlier this month, Penfield High School students showcased their business acumen at the DECA regional competition hosted by the Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology.

DECA is a global organization for high school and college students, preparing them for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.  It's a co-curricular program where students apply classroom knowledge in practical scenarios like case studies, presentations, and online simulations.

During the competition, which drew more than a 1,100 students from the Greater Rochester Area, students presented business plans to local business leaders who served as the competition’s judges. A variety of subjects are at the center of each business plan, including accounting applications, business finance, marketing management, and retail merchandising, among others.

“This year was the largest that this competition has ever been, and our students did amazingly,” said Raymond Zajac, DECA advisor, who teaches business and coordinates work-based learning at Penfield. “Our students take a wide variety of business courses offered at the school and meet after the day is done to further practice their business skills and improve their knowledge of their chosen event.” 

Eleven Penfield students earned awards for their plans, and will represent the District at the State Competition in March. For Zach Bunce (co-president), Gus Peterson (co-president), Alivia Domenico (vice president of marketing), and Alan Levin (vice president of membership), this marks their second trip to the state competition after qualifying last year. The full list of students who earned awards included:

• Zach Bunce - Entrepreneurship Team Decision
• Sofia Cipro - Sports and Entertainment Marketing
• Dante Crump - Principles of Finance
• Alivia Domenico - Retail Merchandising
• Bryce Kunsman - Business Services Marketing
• Alan Levin - Human Resource Management
• Kate Masucci - Business Finance
• Gus Peterson - Entrepreneurship Team Decision
• Nathan Roche - Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
• Kaelyn Wake - Accounting Applications
• Daniel Wright - Marketing Communications